well off

well off — 形容詞

IPA/ˌwel ˈɒf/
IPA/ˌwel ˈɔːf/

1. having enough money to live at a comfortable level or to own expensive things

1.形容詞B1
釋義

富裕的

有足夠金錢過舒適生活的

having enough money to live at a comfortable level or to own expensive things

例句

The Watanabe family is well off, with enough savings to send all three children to university.

渡邊家很富裕，有足夠的積蓄供三個孩子上大學。

be well off + enough to [do something]

Diego grew up in a well-off neighbourhood where most houses had swimming pools.

Diego 在一個富裕的社區長大，那裡大多數房子都有游泳池。

well-off as attributive adjective before a noun

同義詞
  • wealthy

    stronger than 'well off'; suggests great or inherited riches

  • affluent

    more formal; often describes communities or areas

  • prosperous

    focuses on economic success and thriving business

反義詞
  • poor

    direct opposite — having very little money

  • badly off

    less common; opposite of 'well off' in financial terms

文法句型

be well off

用法筆記

Frequently used in comparative and superlative forms: better off, best off; worse off.

常見錯誤

❌She is very well-off and drives an expensive car.
✅She is very well off and drives an expensive car.
💡The compound is usually written without a hyphen when used as a predicate adjective after a verb like 'be'.
❌He is a well off person.
✅He is a well-off person.
💡Hyphenate the compound when it comes directly before the noun it modifies.

2. having a large enough supply of something that is needed or wanted

2.形容詞B2
釋義

充足的

擁有充足供應的

having a large enough supply of something that is needed or wanted

例句

Our office is well off for computers, with at least one machine per desk.

我們辦公室的電腦很充足，每張桌子至少有一台。

be well off for [item]

The school is well off for musical instruments because of a generous donation last year.

由於去年有一筆慷慨的捐款，這所學校的樂器很充裕。

同義詞
反義詞
  • short of

    opposite — not having enough of something

  • low on

    informal opposite, e.g. 'low on cash'

文法句型

be well off for [resource]

用法筆記

Almost always followed by the preposition 'for' to indicate the resource in question. Common in British English, less so in American English.

常見錯誤

❌We are well off of food.
✅We are well off for food.
💡The correct preposition after 'well off' in this sense is 'for', not 'of'.

3. experiencing a quality of life that others may not share, especially when compar

3.形容詞B2
釋義

幸運的

處境比他人有利或順遂的

experiencing a quality of life that others may not share, especially when compared to less fortunate people

例句

Indra knows she is well off compared to people who lost their homes in the flood.

Indra 知道自己和那些在洪水中失去家園的人相比，算是很幸運的了。

well off compared to [others]

Students in this school are well off — every classroom has air conditioning and a computer.

這所學校的學生境況很好——每間教室都有空調和電腦。

同義詞
  • fortunate

    standard synonym, wider scope

  • lucky

    more informal, often suggests chance rather than circumstance

  • privileged

    implies an unearned advantage

反義詞
  • unfortunate

    direct opposite in the circumstantial sense

  • badly off

    less common, opposite in 'general situation' sense

文法句型

be well off

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1 (RICH): this sense does not imply wealth, only favourable circumstances. Often followed by 'compared to/with' or an infinitive clause explaining the good fortune.

常見錯誤

❌He lost his job but is still well off because he has good friends.
✅He lost his job but is still fortunate because he has good friends.
💡'Well off' in this sense means in a good situation overall, but using it right after describing job loss sounds contradictory unless the situation is genuinely favourable.

well off — 名詞

IPA/ˌwel ˈɒf/
IPA/ˌwel ˈɑːf/